The Delhi High Court on Monday extended protection to the personality rights of actor and Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, directing that her name, image, and likeness cannot be commercially exploited without her consent.
A bench of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora was hearing a plea filed by Bachchan, who alleged that several YouTube channels, social media accounts, and websites were misusing her persona for profit. The defendants in the case include major online platforms such as Google, Amazon, eBay, and Meta.
Appearing for Bachchan, her counsel told the court that various online entities were using her photographs and personal attributes for commercial purposes without authorization. It was also alleged that some videos had been created using Artificial Intelligence to simulate her likeness and voice.
The petition said merchandise featuring Bachchan’s image was being sold on multiple platforms, amounting to a violation of her personality and publicity rights.
Justice Arora observed that such misuse of a celebrity’s name and image without consent warranted judicial protection. She stated that the court would issue an injunction order restraining the infringing parties from continuing such activities.
However, the judge clarified that she was not inclined to restrain a private seller offering posters of Abhimaan—the 1973 film starring Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan—on Amazon, as the sale of original movie posters did not amount to unauthorized use.
The Delhi High Court had earlier passed similar orders protecting the personality rights of other members of the Bachchan family, including Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The court is expected to issue detailed directions specifying the scope of the injunction in its forthcoming order.
